Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 228 Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures Defense Map
An hour later, the banquet began.

It is said that when there are more women, there are more things to do.

But no woman, including the Duke of Qi's wife, would be foolish enough to come to the 'Zhongyong Hou Mansion' to cause trouble.

So the backyard seems to be a happy place.

As for the front yard, during the beginning of the banquet, there was an episode.

The reason was that Chen Daniu, under the instruction of Wei Yuan, pretended to have eaten too much and drank too much, and wanted to challenge the envoys of Liao and Xia, saying that he wanted to 'make friends with force'.

As soon as this incident came out, many people were a little surprised.

After all, at the official banquets of the Zhou Dynasty, it was basically the envoys of Liao and Xia who caused such things.

On the pretext of being drunk, he wanted to ridicule Zhou for his lack of martial virtue.

To this day, why is it that the generals of the Zhou Dynasty deliberately provoked, and the envoys of Liao and Xia are unwilling to fight?

"How dare you! We are the envoys of Daliao, how dare you!"

Basically, the envoys sent to the Zhou Dynasty by the two countries were very proficient in the culture and language of the Zhou Dynasty.

Why did so many young generals with astonishing military power suddenly appear?
Little did they know that most of the young generals they saw were the team brought by Wei Yuan from Daizhou.

If we don't fight, we will lose the face of our country.
The Liao envoy stood up slowly, bowed solemnly to Wei Yuan and said:
"Master Wei, today is a grand banquet in your mansion. It is not appropriate to use force. How about another day?"

Then, he took a deep look at Chen Daniu.

The latter immediately understood, stretched out his hand, and lifted the Liao envoy up with brute force alone, and laughed:
"No wonder you have to dare to compete in martial arts. You are so weak. You are just afraid of being punched by me. That is a big deal."

Accept the challenge? With Wei Yuan here, it is enough to ensure that Great Zhou remains in an invincible position.

On their way back to the official post, the envoys from the two countries kept wondering about one thing.

"I heard that no matter what kind of banquet I had in the past, as long as the envoys from the two countries were present, I had to use force to make friends. Why am I so timid now?"

He said the words "I don't dare" very seriously.

"General Chen is so powerful! I have long disliked them!"

That is, today's Great Zhou Dynasty is not afraid of provoking war.

At this time, they couldn't stay any longer, so they simply left with Xia Envoy.

The envoys from Liao and Xia immediately looked sad.

"Why did you dare not do it now?"

If there really was a fight, Chen Daniu alone would be enough for them to drink a pot.

After thinking for a moment, they could only get one message.

Wei Yuan laughed disapprovingly and said: "Too much to deceive others? How are you, the envoy of Zhou, doing in the Liao Kingdom? I don't think I need to say more, right?"

When had Dazhou ever been so tough?
I don’t know if I dare or not. This sentence directly aroused the strong fighting spirit of the surrounding military commanders, and they all laughed and said:
"I don't know if I dare?!"

"Marquis Wei, what do you mean? We came to this banquet only after your invitation!"

Another Liao envoy immediately stood up and said angrily:

They really don't dare.

Wei Yuan even fanned the flames on the sidelines, fearing that the world would not be in chaos.

"You, the Zhou Kingdom, have gone too far in bullying others!"

"."

Wei Yuan shook his head and said: "Ten years ago, I went to the official family to celebrate their fortieth birthday. At the official family birthday banquet, you, the Liao Kingdom, proposed to use force to make friends."

As soon as the envoys from the two countries left, Han Zhang and others started discussing the matter.

"."

In the old Zhou Dynasty, even when the so-called Duke Wu Xianggong was alive, few people dared to take the initiative to provoke the two countries.

"Why don't you dare to do it now?"

"In our great Zhou Dynasty, this is called treating others in their own way. If you don't accept it, you can fight with our soldiers. Do you dare?"

Faced with these noisy voices, the Liao envoy finally chose not to speak out and swallowed the matter in his stomach.

"Don't you, Liao and Xia, say that I, the Great Zhou Dynasty, have no martial virtue? Don't you dare to fight with us?"

The other Liao envoys couldn't tolerate it.

Why do you dare to do it now?

Chen Daniu threw the Liao envoy aside with a little force and said angrily: "A chicken and a dog are vulnerable to a single blow!"

"If the Liao and Xia are united, the Xia envoy should stand up when the Liao envoy is humiliated. It can be seen that the Liao-Xia alliance is not airtight."

"At that time, your Liao Kingdom was very impressive, with three battles and three victories. Our officials said that it is not appropriate to use force at the birthday banquet, but you said that you still have not finished your ideas and should continue to compete."

"In this way, I tell the two countries that I, the Zhou Dynasty, are not afraid of provoking war. Isn't it too risky? What if the Liao envoy cannot bear the humiliation and the Liao Kingdom really wants to cross the Great Wall on horseback? good?"

He used the word 'coward'.

"The Marquis of Wei has been fighting against the Liao Kingdom for many years. How can he not know what the Liao Kingdom is like? We don't want to provoke a war, but the Liao Kingdom dares to do so?"

"After what Chen Yuanzhi did, I remembered what Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once said: Where the enemy can go, I can go too."

"That's right. Once upon a time, whenever there was a banquet with envoys from the two countries, when would I dare to provoke them or challenge them to a fight? Chen Yuanzhi, or rather Marquis Wei, made a good start."

"Today's banquet is a success."

"."

backyard.

The news of Chen Daniu humiliating the Liao envoy soon reached the ears of Zhang Guifen and others.

For a time, many people started discussing it heatedly.
"Actively provoking the Liao envoy? This General Chen is really brave!"

"It is said that General Chen came from Daizhou with Lord Wei, and he killed Liao soldiers with real swords and spears."

"It really gives me the ambition to be heavenly!"

"."

Mentioning Chen Daniu, Zhang Guifen suddenly thought of her other mission today.

After searching for a long time, I finally found Qin Jianjia, the young daughter of the Duke of Fuguo.

This girl is only fourteen years old now, not yet old enough to discuss marriage seriously.

However, there is no girl who is not pregnant, so it is good to ask others what they mean first.

After the banquet, many people were not in a hurry to leave. They finally got together. Of course, they wanted to use the treasure of Zhongyong Hou Mansion to connect and bond.

Taking this opportunity, Zhang Guifen called Qin Jianjia to an uninhabited area and asked, "Do you know the General Chen they were talking about just now?"

Qin Jianjia was a little confused at first. The Zhang family sister was so good, so what did she do to her?
When asked about General Chen, he immediately said: "On the day of my wedding, my sister met General Chen. That general was quite interesting."

interesting?
Zhang Guifen's brows were filled with joy, "You mean, you like him?"

Like it?

Qin Jianjia frowned slightly and instantly understood Zhang Guifen's intention. She blushed and said:
"I only have a one-time relationship with General Chen, so how can we say we like each other?"

Zhang Guifen looked at her expression and thought it was funny, and said:

"Just tell the truth to my sister. General Chen likes you. If you feel that you have some affection for him, come to the Marquis Mansion another day so that you can meet again."

like me?
Qin Jianjia said: "Since ancient times, marriage matters have been dictated by matchmakers, parents, me, me."

Zhang Guifen said: "If you have a good impression, I will come to propose marriage on General Chen's behalf. How about that?"

Qin Jianjia thought for a while, then suddenly shook her head and said, "My brother said that he would not let me negotiate with General Chen anymore."

Zhang Guifen said seriously: "This matter has little to do with your brother. It mainly depends on how you think about it."

Qin Jianjia's voice became softer and softer, "I don't know. But if my parents knew about it, they might break my legs when I meet my husband."

Zhang Guifen smiled and said, "If you are worried about this, don't worry. It's all my fault. Do your parents still want to punish me?"

Qin Jianjia stamped her foot, "Oh, sister, that's not what I meant. It's just..."

"That's all, let's not talk about it for now. Forgive me, sister. It's late and it's time for sister to go back."

After saying that, he turned around and left. Zhang Guifen looked at her leaving figure and murmured: "Does Duke Fu control this girl so strictly?"

"No wonder this girl is always missing when I get together with Rong Feiyan and the others."

"That's all, let's choose a good day and go to the Duke Fuguo's mansion in person to find out what my uncle and aunt have to say."

Another place.

Minglan is chatting with Hualan.

After Hualan married into Uncle Zhongqin's residence, she realized that this seemingly magnificent residence was actually rotten to the core.

The government's expenses can be said to be beyond its means.

When Hualan got married, she took away a lot of generous dowry.

But now, those dowries are about to be wiped out by her mother-in-law.

Hearing this, Minglan became very angry.

"I'm using your dowry to supplement my family's income, and yet I'm trying to make things difficult for you everywhere. What's the point of this?"

Hua Lan sighed and said, "Sixth sister doesn't know something. No matter how poor the uncle's house is, it is still the uncle's house after all, and the family status is there."

"No matter how rich our Sheng family is, in the eyes of others, we are just a small family."

"Your sister has always been gentle in temperament and never fought or grabbed anything. That's good for me."

"I heard that some noble mothers-in-law have vicious mothers-in-law who often beat and scold their daughters-in-law."

Minglan said: "When the eldest sister got married, my uncle also went."

"Could it be that Uncle Zhongqin's house wants to punish you too, just for my uncle's sake?"

Hua Lan said bluntly: "When I first got married, my father-in-law and mother-in-law hoped to get acquainted with my uncle from the Wei family through me, but as you know what happened later, my uncle from the Wei family didn't give face to Uncle Zhongqin at all."

"I can't blame your uncle for this. After all, I am grateful that my uncle from the Wei family can come to my wedding."

"Later, it was also my fault that my eldest sister was so unlucky that she was unable to continue the Yuan family's heirs."

Minglan frowned and said, "Sister, I've wronged you."

Hua Lan shook his head, "Speaking of which, I do envy your aunt. As women, I'm afraid that no matter how many lives we have, we still won't be able to compare to your aunt."

Minglan was thinking about it at this time, wondering what the family she would marry into in the future would be like.
After the banquet, Minglan informed Zhang Guifen about her eldest sister. After hearing this, she said:

"Not only are others envious, but sometimes I also envy myself. To be able to meet a man like your uncle means that there is nothing else I could wish for in this life."

"but."

When she said this, she held Minglan's jade hand and said sincerely:
"I can't control other people's affairs, and I don't want to, but if you get married in the future and encounter this kind of thing, I will definitely support you."

"Or, if you wait two years later, I will personally find a good family for you and marry you off in a glorious way."

Minglan smiled and said, "Auntie, you are talking as if I am your daughter."

"Also, isn't my aunt used to being a matchmaker?"

Zhang Guifen did not joke with her, but said seriously: "Niece, daughter, they are all the same."

"You call me aunt, and I will do my best to protect you and ensure that you have a good marriage."

Minglan was moved in her heart.

I'm afraid I will never be able to repay the kindness my uncle and aunt have treated me.
-
After the banquet, Zhang Guifen started preparing for Lin Zhaoyuan's marriage.

The day after tomorrow, Wei Yuan went to Ningyuan Hou Mansion.

At this time, Gu Yankai was already extremely weak.

The last time he came here, when he saw the other party, he could still barely walk on his own, but now, even with the help of others, he could hardly get out of the bed.

Seeing this, Wei Yuan couldn't help but ask: "What kind of disease does Uncle Gu have? Is it really difficult to cure it with medicine and stone?"

When he came to Gu Yankai's bed, Gu Yankai deliberately dismissed everyone.

Hearing this, Gu Yankai shook his head.

"I have a loss of energy and blood. In the past, I seemed to be no different from ordinary people, but I just relied on one breath."

"But if I vent that tone, I will naturally die soon."

Wei Yuan sighed, "Uncle Gu called my nephew to come here, but what else do I need to explain?"

Gu Yankai struggled to hand a picture under his pillow to Wei Yuan.

The latter was shocked when he saw it, "The defense map of Yanyun's Sixteenth Prefecture? How did Uncle Gu get this map?"

No matter how much manpower and material resources the Imperial City Department used, they still couldn't find out anything about this map.

But does Gu Yankai actually have this picture?
How could he not be shocked by this?

Gu Yankai spoke slowly: "With you here, I can rest assured about Ting Ye's future affairs."

"The only one who feels unwilling to do so now is Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures."

"When I was young, like you, I also threatened to regain the Sixteenth State of Yanyun, but you and I both know that it is too difficult. It is so difficult that it cannot be accomplished in one generation."

"This defense map is from 20 years ago. I seized it. I have one copy for the officials and one copy for me."

"Later, there was a fire in the palace, and the official defense plan was destroyed. Now, this is the only one in the entire Zhou Dynasty."

"If you have the opportunity to lead an army out of the border in the future, this defense map may be useful to you."

Others don't know the meaning of this defense map.

But Wei Yuan knew.

Why is Zhang Fu called a general who is good at guarding?
Among the famous generals from ancient times, who would want to be known as a good guard?

There is no exact defense plan, and all the situations in Yanyun's sixteen states are a mystery to Da Zhou.

Although the Imperial City Division often sends people to the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, the information that can be obtained is only some basic information, which is far less meaningful than this defense map.

"Does the official know about this picture?" Wei Yuan asked.

Gu Yankai shook his head and said: "I had selfish motives at the time, thinking that with this map, the Sixteenth State of Yanyun would be within easy reach. However, it was only because I was too young and energetic at the time."

"The defense map presented to the officials was the original version that was captured. I drew this map myself one stroke at a time, thinking that one day I could use it when I go out to fight."

"I am handing this map to you today. I hope it will be useful to you. However, times have changed and the defense map from twenty years ago will be difficult to use today."

Wei Yuan took a deep breath, took the picture, and bowed solemnly to Gu Yankai:
"Uncle Gu, please rest assured that throughout his life, my nephew will make it his mission to recover the Sixteenth State of Yanyun."

Gu Yankai nodded and said feebly: "I can only help you so far."

When Wei Yuan left, Gu Yankai tried his best to say his last words to Wei Yuan,

"Gu family, Tingye, please leave it to your nephew."

Why does Gu Yankai value Gu Tingye?
The reason is simple, because in the entire Gu family, Gu Tingye is the most suitable successor.

Gu Tingyu is in poor health and may leave someday.

Xiao Qin's son is incompetent and embarrassed to use.

Gu Yankai thought about it and thought that only Gu Tingye could support the Ningyuan Hou Mansion.

Wei Yuan believes that in noble families such as Bo's Mansion and Hou's Mansion, the relationship between father and son is actually very weak.

Everything is given priority to the family, so it is hard to say how much the father-son affection accounts for Gu Yankai's emphasis on Gu Tingye.

After leaving Gu Mansion and getting on the chariot, Wei Yuan took a serious look at Yanyun's Sixteen Prefecture Defense Map.

He was also thinking, when there was a fire in the palace and the Yanyun defense map in the hands of the officials was burned, why didn't the officials order someone to draw more copies of the map?
After thinking about it, there is only one reason that can be explained clearly.

The official family has never thought of regaining the sixteen states of Yanyun.

"The defense map from twenty years ago. What kind of changes will there be in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun twenty years later?"

Wei Yuan murmured.

He is now extremely sure that one day in the future, sooner or later, he will go to the land of Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures to take a look, or not just take a look.

After all, no one can take an inch of the ancestral land from others.

(End of this chapter)